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Disney invited WDWNT to the Daytona 500 to celebrate the 20th anniversary of Pixar’s Cars franchise, which included the reveal of an exclusive merchandise line.
‘Cars’ 20th Anniversary at NASCAR Daytona 500
The 68th annual Daytona 500 takes place today, February 15, at Daytona International Speedway in Florida. As William Byron guns for his third Harley J. Earl trophy with Kyle Busch starting on the pole, we turned our attention to a different automotive celebration taking place: the 20th anniversary of Pixar’s Cars.
Disney invited WDWNT and other media outlets to a commemorative event at the race, which featured a photo op with Lightning McQueen in front of a Piston Cup background.
We also got to sign the start/finish line of the track, leaving our mark with “WDWNT.com.”
‘Cars’ 20th Anniversary Merchandise
Also on hand were displays of 20th anniversary Cars merchandise, ranging from officially licensed NASCAR toys to clothing and accessories. Everything is exclusively available at Walmart.
The NASCAR die-cast vehicles include both favorite Cars characters and new ones inspired by real NASCAR racers, including Ryan ‘Inside’ Laney and Bubba Wheelhouse.
Licensed NASCAR racecourse sets include the Radiator Springs-inspired Rescue Road Raceway with Lightning McQueen and Chick Hicks vehicles.
The dynamic Lane Change Race set launches the included McQueen and Carstin ‘Ace’ Dillon vehicles with a crank booster, while a switch lets players change the course to cause (or prevent) crashes.
Tonies audio play figurines and Track Talkers toys bring Lightning McQueen and Tow Mater to life. The tonies toys each feature a narrative story and multiple songs, while the Track Talkers feature more than 15 lines of dialogue from McQueen and Mater.
More toys include assorted Mini Racers three-packs, water-activated color-changing models of Diana Geardado and Dinoco Cruz Ramirez, and a set of five Radiator Springs friends.
Finally, exclusive LEGO sets include the Speed Champions Lightning McQueen building set and a DUPLO Car Wash Fun set that includes Lightning McQueen and Tow Mater.
Are you excited to see Cars represented at the Daytona 500? Let us know on social media.
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